“I’m sorry,” Journey sympathized. “Would a margarita make you feel better? Or is it too early?”
“Oh, hell yes it would make me feel fine and dandy.” Lou laughed. “Besides, it’s five o’clock somewhere.”
“So true.” Journey led the way to the kitchen. “Just step over my mess. I have everything pulled out to put in the car. Oils. Jars. Shipping boxes. You name it.”
“Looks like you’re planning on being gone for a month.” Lou stepped over one box full of essential oils and another filled with empty cosmetic containers as she moved to the kitchen to hop up on a bar stool.
“Thanks for returning this bag, by the way.” Journey tossed the empty weekender onto the couch as she passed. “I don’t really know how long I’ll be gone. Truth is, I need to get out of the city for a while.”
“Oh, really? What’s going on?”
Journey made a cute growling noise deep in her throat as she took two glasses from the cabinet and filled them with margarita mix and tequila. “Casey blew me off for our date this weekend.”
“Seriously? Why?”
“His ex-wife snapped her fingers and he went running home to offer comfort. He said she’d broken up with her new boyfriend and needed to talk.”
“What a jerk!” Lou accepted a goblet from her friend and patted the stool next to her. “I guess he’s not ready to move on.”
After a long sip, Journey licked the salt from her lips. “I suppose I wasn’t incentive enough.”
“That’s bull hockey.”
Lou’s dry exclamation made Journey laugh. “I’ll drink to that.” She lifted her glass in a salute.
“To hell with him, Journey. Casey Stark isn’t good enough for you anyway.”
“Not by a long shot.” With a frustrated groan, she bent to rest her forehead on the counter. “Lou, I’ve dated six different men since New Year’s Eve, and I wasn’t able to connect with any of them. What’s wrong with me?”
“Not a damn thing.” Lou drained her glass and reached for the pitcher to pour a refill. “You’re just meeting the wrong kind of man. Maybe you’re not looking in the right place.”
This thought made Journey giggle. “Uh, let’s see. I met Casey at a bar. Will at the carwash. Jeremy online. Hamlet at…”
“That Hamlet.” Lou giggled, swirling the lime green concoction in her glass. “He was a weird one.”
“I met him at Torchy’s Tacos. He was okay.”
“Yea, okay for a dude who lives in his mother’s basement.”
“True.” She pushed her half-empty glass away. “I don’t even remember the other two, much less where I met them.”
Lou studied Journey’s face with a narrowed gaze. “Are you still sleeping with that guy’s picture under your pillow?”
The question made Journey jump a bit. “Who?”
“You know who. That cowboy. Rio.”
“Reno.” She stood up and grabbed the empty weekender. “Come with me. I need to finish packing my clothes.”
“So, you don’t know how long you’ll be gone?” Lou picked up a stack of Journey’s folded underwear as she passed the dining table.
“No, I don’t. Depends on how long my great uncle…lingers.”
“Oh, sorry. I keep thinking this is more of a vacation for you than a family thing.” Lou walked to the bed and placed the pretty panties and bras next to a stack of jeans and shirts.
“I’m looking forward to housesitting for my aunt. I love being at the ranch.”
Lou strolled around the room, glancing at this and that – a necklace lying on the dresser, a box of stationary on the desk. “This just cracks me up. You’re the only one I know who still writes letters by hand.”
“Surely not.” She began tucking her things inside the weekender. “I think it’s so much more personal than an email or a text. Or a tweet, for God’s sake.”
Lou laughed. “You’re right. The whole world has become lazy and isolated.” She returned to the bed to sit near the headboard.
“I agree. I use social media to advertise my products, doing so is a necessity. Other than that – I avoid such things. It kills me to see a family eating dinner in a restaurant, sitting across from one another, and everyone is on their phones. We may have gained ground in technology, but we’ve lost something when it comes to human interaction.”
Lou chewed on her lip thoughtfully before she spoke. “I swear. You were born out of time, Jo.” She glanced around the bedroom, taking in the antique dresser, the antique bedframe, and the antique bookshelves piled high with historical romances. There was even an old-fashioned washstand complete with bowl and pitcher. “Sweetie, just look at this place. You act like you’re from another century, always surrounding yourself with things from long ago.”
Journey made a face, wrinkling her nose at Lou. “Everyone has their own style. I just prefer classic things. I’m not into anything modern or contemporary. I can’t help it, I love antiques.”
“Yea. I can see that.” Lou gave her a knowing look as she held up the treasured tintype portrait of Reno Black. “Especially this antique man.”
“Give him to me, Louisiana.” Journey bounced on the bed, snatching the framed picture from her friend’s hands. Leaning against a stack of pillows, she held the sepia photo close, lovingly running the tip of one finger over his face.
“Girl, you need to quit mooning over a guy who lived a century and a half ago. This obsession may be one reason why you can’t make a relationship work.”
“No. It’s not his fault.” She sat up, glaring at the blonde. “Don’t roll your eyes at me. I’m just waiting for the right guy, that’s all. So far, all the men I’ve dated are selfish, narcistic jerks.”
“Okay. You’re right.” Lou reached over and zipped Journey’s packed-to-the-brim bag. “You have managed to pick a
